AQUA-VES™ Offshore Water Treatment System

The AQUA-VES Offshore Water Treatment System effectively treats contaminated water so it may be safely discharged overboard. The fully integrated system can treat up to 300 barrels of waste water per day at a processing rate of 10-20 bbls/hour, it is capable of handling a combined solids and oil content up to 20%. The membrane filters reject solids and oil to produce a clean water that contains less than 30 PPM oil, from a maximum oil content of 10,000 PPM. With a small footprint, occupying 155” by 108” by 135”, the completely automated system uses an integrated oil-in-water analyser to ensure the treated water meets the environmental discharge requirements. If the system detects an output near the pre-set discharge limits, it will automatically divert the water back to the feed tank for re-processing thus ensuring adherence to environmental regulations at all times.

While process rates and efficiencies vary depending on the feed density, suspended solids, dissolved solids, viscosity, and temperature, the AQUA-VES system significantly reduces the amount of waste water that must be shipped to shore for disposal. Up to 80% of a typical contaminated water volume can be discharged after treatment. Thus, only the concentrate, which is as little as 20% of the original volume, would then need to be shipped to shore for disposal. This results in a significant cost savings for the operator and will also reduce the contaminated water storage volume required on the rig.

In addition to discharge compliance, the system’s automated process maximizes the longevity of the unit. The water treatment systems’ controller has several programmed set-points that will automatically stop treatment if any of the measurements reaches an alarm level. This prolongs the life of the membranes that could otherwise be reduced by excessive processing rates and pressures. The automated system also minimizes operator exposure, again, an additional environmental protection function, plus a cost saving benefit. All process times, volumes, and cleaning cycles can be programmed to perform as desired.

The AQUA-VES system does not use chemicals during the treatment process, instead a vibratory enhanced separation technique is utilised to reduce membrane fouling and enhance membrane life. System calibration and optimization is achieved through the use of specifically tailored products to ensure process accuracy.